


The Goodbye

by AnneGee



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Anger, Attraction, Bickering, Communication Failure, Complicated Relationships, Crying, Dorks in Love, Drama & Romance, Drunken Confessions, Drunken Kissing, Drunkenness, F/M, Female Apprentice (The Arcana), Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friendship/Love, Grief/Mourning, Human Disaster Julian Devorak, Humor, Kissing, Love Confessions, Men Crying, Nonverbal Communication, One Shot, One-Sided Attraction, References to Depression, Romantic Angst, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Fluff, Romantic Friendship, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Insert, Short & Sweet, Submissive Julian Devorak, Sweet, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:41:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23283418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnneGee/pseuds/AnneGee
Summary: “The apprentice was ready to go into this world and make up for lost time, and so the time had come for her to leave Vesuvia to seek new adventures. It was as simple as that. Clearly his childish, egoistic personality was the only reason he couldn’t find it in his heart to just be supportive and happy for her. Julian instantly lost track of what he had planned to tell her coming over to her room. Who was he to interfere and question her decisions? Why would it even matter how he felt about her going away?”
Relationships: Apprentice & Julian Devorak, Apprentice/Julian Devorak, Julian Devorak & You, Julian Devorak/Reader, Julian Devorak/You
Comments: 8
Kudos: 79





	The Goodbye

Julian raised his fist up and drew a deep breath. “Just do it,” he commanded himself, and knocked three knocks, hardly audible due to the hard wood and massive size of the door. He coughed nervously, which echoed far louder through the palace’s stone hallway.

He waited a while, almost hoping no one would open, so that he could go back to the lovely room Nadia had offered him, get to bed early and think nothing more of it. But he knew that was an impossible scenario, that he would toss and turn all night and end up miserable and depressed for not speaking his mind while he still had a chance.

He knocked again with the ulnar border of his palm. The door flew open, and [y/n]’s sweet, curious face peaked out. She was obviously getting ready for bed, not fully dressed and with her wet hair up in an untidy bun. A smell of soap and roses reached his nostrils.

“Julian!” she exclaimed surprised, “Why aren’t you eating with Nadia and the others?”

Julian drew another deep breath, and put on a brave face. “Um.. I...errr... have paperwork waiting for me.” He beaconed his arm towards his room. He should probably elaborate to seem more credible, but instead he chose to shut up and look stupid.

[Y/n] raised her brows and gave him an amused smile. “Oh, okay. But... now you’re here, so... Can I help you?” She giggled, and it bothered him that she found him amusing. He didn’t feel either amusing or amused. In fact he was in an internal uproar that threatened to drive him insane. She would be scared of him if she knew just how out of his mind he was.

Her mocking made him drop his head forward in defeat, but he managed to cover it up pretty well with a disarming smile and a head shake once he looked back at her with rosy cheeks. “By no means. I was rather wondering if you needed any help.” He straightened up along with his confidence. “You’re in for a long and demanding journey, you know. Are you sure you’re... sufficiently prepared?” He instantly noticed his own condescending tone and quickly added: “Speaking as a doctor _and_ your friend.” He managed to add a decent smile on top of that, and was pleased with his explanation. It felt honest.

The door sprung wide open and [y/n] stepped backwards into the room, leaving a odorous trail of cleanliness. “Aw, it’s so sweet of you to ask. Please come in.” She waved him inside, her face looking genuinely welcoming.

He felt like an intruder stepping into her room though, all her belongings scattered around the room in stacks, herself only covered by a thin night shirt and a pair of extremely silly slippers he suspected belonged to the palace. They had bells on each tip that ringed with every step she took. It warmed his heart to see her this unpretentious and stripped down, which in second turn made him deeply sad again. Maybe this was the last time he would see her this pure and adorable.

“Sorry about the mess,” she complained laughingly, one hand clutching her wild hair, the other resting on her hip.

Gosh, the white linen was ever so revealing on her. Her smooth, naked legs made him involuntarily visualise how they would look entangled with his own long and hairy ones. What he wouldn’t give to feel the perfect skin on them, and trace them all the way up underneath the white linen to her buttocks – and further. Julian swallowed.

[Y/n] kept herself busy going on about this and that, everything she had prepared and a whole lot of what Asra had warned her about.

Asra... If this tragic situation was anyone’s fault..! Julian flexed his jaw.

Her cheerful chatter rubbed him the wrong way. Not that he couldn’t understand why she was excited. He had traveled more than most, and he loved it. She had after all finally found the missing pieces in her life. She had broken free from her dependence on Asra. She had found herself, and found herself strong and capable. She was ready to go into this world and make up for lost time, and so the time had come for her to leave Vesuvia to seek new adventures. It was as simple as that. Clearly his childish, egoistic personality was the only reason he couldn’t find it in his heart to just be supportive and happy for her. He instantly lost track of what he had planned to tell her coming over to her room. Who was he to interfere and question her decisions? Why would it even matter how he felt about her going away?

  
The sudden self doubt made him eventually panic. Why had he even invited himself into her room now at this hour, when it obviously was too late, and she had plenty of other things to worry about? This was quite obviously the last thing she needed right now. What a selfish jerk and utter idiot he was! He should immediately pardon himself and get back to his room if he had any decency in him. Julian’s inner monologue grew harsher with every new thought that came to mind.

“Why don’t you sit down, Julian? I can ask the maid to get us some tea. Or would you rather have something stronger before bed?” She smiled suggestively. “I had the special mint, elderflower and ginger liquor earlier today. I recommend it...” [Y/n] had cleared the armchair for him to sit.

“Oh... please. No, thank you. I... err... should probably go. Don’t you have plenty of packing and other things to do?” Julian tried to look relaxed, something he was far from.

[Y/n] sent him a puzzled look. “Didn’t you just come over to offer me some helpful advice?”

Julian flashed her an insecure smile. He was so stressed he felt like throwing a fit, shout out his unreasonable frustrations and just run out of there. After all he probably wouldn’t see her for a long, long time. Maybe even never. The consuming sadness just thinking about it...

He let his head fall back, and drew a breath to collect himself, twisting his bare fingers nervously.

“Julian?” he heard [y/n] say in a low, concerned voice, “Are you okay? You look sick. Won’t you please sit down, sweetie.” She approached him and took hold of his hands, guiding him to sit. Julian didn’t know what he was doing anymore, but suddenly found himself sitting in the chair with her lovely, big eyes looking up at him through long dark lashes. She sat at his feet with her legs curled up underneath herself, knitting her brows, caressing his knee with her fingers. “Sweetheart, honestly, what’s wrong? Did something happen?” She was investigating his face for answers, and it made his body go hot and cold at once.

“Yes, you told me you were leaving Vesuvia tomorrow, and I have no reason to live anymore,” was what he wanted to say. Instead he pattet her hand and reassured her: “No, no! Not at all. It’s just been a long and exhausting day and I haven’t eaten much. I’ll be fine.”

“My god, Julian. When will you start to take care of yourself? I’m ordering food to my room.” She got up in an instant and called for the maid. He heard her order both dinner and wine.

Guilt had started to ravish Julian’s insides. “Oh dear, [y/n]. Please. You’re making too much out of this. I’ll be fine. I just need to sleep.”

[Y/n] still had a worried frown on her face as she approached him again, standing up this time. “And if I know you the slightest, you will spend the night doing all that paperwork.” Her voice held a hint of accusation and annoyance.

It made Julian’s heart fall into his stomach. He looked up her like a scolded child. He knew she was right, and it bothered him that it bothered her.

Arms and legs crossed, she was looking down at him with lidded eyes. Her daft slippers completely ruining her authoritarian pose. They weren’t enough for him to dismiss her though.

Before he could think, he spoke his mind. “Oh, I don’t sleep much anyway. You know that. And especially now that...” he stopped himself, not knowing where to go from here. His throat felt tight.

“... now that what?” she asked in a softer voice.

“You know. Life is going through changes,” he mumbled. He tried to clear his throat after hearing his own voice sounding small and strange.

[Y/n] kept quiet, and he could hardly look at her in fear of what he would see. Had he revealed himself? He finally cast a quick glance at her face.

She looked puzzled. “But life has become so much better, Julian. We defeated the Devil, remember? We’re finally free! This town is thriving. And it’s because of you! You should sleep like a baby, sweetheart!”

Her encouragement fell on deaf ears. All Julian could think of was how ignorant she was, and that he was somewhat happy for it. Not happy exactly, but relieved at least.

“Yes, yes, I know. I’ll be fine. Let’s not talk more of it.” He got up fast, just as there was another knock on the door. Shit, the dinner.

“You know what, [y/n], I’ll just bring the food to my room, and leave you to it.” He waved his hand in the air.

“Nonsense!” [y/n] looked almost appalled. “We’re both eating, and we’re eating together!” She opened the door, accepted the brass trolly with silver trays, lit candles, flowers and wine, and thanked the servant gracefully.

There was that nagging guilt again. Julian had already wasted [y/n]’s time too long, and now she had to sit with him through a whole meal because he was a crybaby and a drama queen. Julian was sick alright. Sick of himself.

[Y/n] was cheerful again though. “Oooooh, this looks amazing!” She was peaking under the silver lids. “I should probably consider this my last proper meal.” She let out a small laugh. “I’ll be living off bread and fruits in all foreseeable future.” She almost sang the words out in excitement.

Again this damn, unbearable enthusiasm over leaving him! It made it so hard for him to reply to her in a polite manner. “I’m honoured to share the last proper meal with you,” he said affectionately, and although it filled him with considerable grief, it was true. She could have spent this occasion with several others, but at least he got this to remember her by.

Uplifted by this last realisation, he eagerly started setting the table, while [y/n] cleared it from all her belongings. And as they were settling and started eating, he finally managed to put up an act and ask her about her travel route and how she had planned to find food and shelter along the way, what medical ingredients she was bringing with her and who she would try to seek for help if needed. The last subject filled Julian with intense jealousy though, and he had to admit to himself that this was indeed his biggest concern. Not how well prepared she was. He had no doubt she would manage no matter what trouble she ran into, the freaking magical heroine. But he knew how easily people got drawn to her, and how unambiguously lovable everyone found her. Of course she would meet that special someone along the path one day, and all he could hope for after that would be a written letter every now and then telling him about her perfect family life. Hell, he would probably have to go visit one day and bring gifts to her cute little children that looked just like her.

“You alright, Julian? You grew silent. Why aren’t you eating?”

Julian snapped out of his miserable thoughts, and realised he was just stirring his food with the fork. He looked back up at her. “Huh? Oh sorry!” On an impulse he raised his glass to her. “To safe travels!” He gulped down yet another half a glass of wine, and looked at her pensively.

[Y/n] smiled her usual breathtaking smile at him, and chuckled. “I think you need to open another bottle.”

“Oh my...” Julian felt a blush creeping up on his face, but he managed to keep his cool thanks to the wine. “Seriously [y/n], leave some to the rest of us, will you?”

He made her laugh and it calmed him down a bit. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts... He opened another bottle and filled her glass up from across the table.

The room had gone dim, with only the candle lights and the lit fireplace to help them see each other. She was even more beautiful now when her cheeks were warm from wine, and her eyes sparkled. It almost made him euphoric, and for a moment he forgot about tomorrow and all the days after that. He had her here in front of him right now, and it was no less than a blessed miracle.

“I’m so grateful for this,” he looked at her with earnest, holding his glass up to his face. “Sorry to have kept you busy with my... tiresome... clingy... self.” He shamefully looked down on his self-made shredded duck breast. “I’ll help you pack afterwards. I promise.” He managed to meet her gaze again with a smile and keep it. Even a genuine smile. The bliss of wine...

[Y/n]’s face looked almost affectionate. She cocked her head and bit her lip. “Why are you like this, Julian? I’ve never thought you were clingy or tiresome. Gods, if there’s anyone I’ll dearly miss when I go away, it’ll be you.”

Goosebumps spread on Julian’s whole body, even his face. His mouth fell open, but he had nothing sensible to say. He felt undeserving and dishonest.

[Y/n] continued speaking. “You’re the kindest, gentlest man I know, and you’re so committed to other people’s health and safety. But then you treat yourself like shit.”

Julian knew deep down she was on to something. They'd had this discussion before. Still she didn’t know him well enough, how hard he had failed on people in the past and how brutally he had let them down. That she had forgiven him, said more about her than him. Her mind was too pure to imagine how flawed and weak he really was. If she only knew why he was actually here for instance. He was lost for words, and rubbed his face to shake his depressing emotions threatening to reach the surface again. “Ahhh, [y/n], please. Don’t...,” he whispered with a frustrated frown.

A hint of spite could be traced in [y/n]’s voice: “Oh, but I will. You need to welcome people in more. Let them genuinely care for you. You deserve love, Julian. But if you don’t love yourself, no one will ever get to that heart of yours.”

Julian felt all his buttons pushed at once. And his eyes shot fiercely to hers. “Oh, really? No one will get to my heart, will they? That’s strange! Yeah, that actually makes no sense at all!” His ears went red, and he regretted his annoyed outburst straight away. He had already said too much, and started eating pretty frantically to cover up his little rant. After a few mouthfuls of duck he drank the rest of his wine, avoiding [y/n]’s stunned look. He had to get back to his room. Now!

“I’m sorry if I said something wrong.” [Y/s]’s voice sounded disappointed. “Again, I feel like you just won’t accept that people care about you. That was all.” An awkward silence filled the room.

He dared to look at her to check how she was. Boy, the wine really tended to bring out the worst in him sometimes. He filled his glass again.

She was looking down, upset he imagined, and guilt once again grabbed him by his guts.

Then she finally spoke again: “Never mind. Once you find it in yourself to accept someone’s love for you, and you will, that special one will be the luckiest person to walk the earth. Will you at least concede in a toast to that?” She raised her glass to him to make peace.

But Julian felt far from peaceful. He felt sad and frustrated. And slightly drunk. How did they end up with this dreadful conversation? He kept his glass on the table and put his cutlery down. His face collapsed into an agonised grimace. He should have left already. This was not going to end well. His chest was clenched and his breathing got difficult. He put his face into his hands trying to regain control.

“Ahhh, you don’t understand, [y/n]. It’s just too hard. This is too hard.” His initially agitated voice turned into a whisper. “I wish I could explain, but nothing good will come from it. Please just trust me. It’s better that I leave now, and... Oh gods, I promised to help you pack...” An unstoppable sob grew inside his chest with the thought of helping her pack, and he got up from his chair to turn his back on her in shear panic.

He heard her chair move, and felt her small body against his back soon after, her warm hands on his shoulders. It was enough to break him. He inevitably let out the sob, and his chest started shaking as his despair turned into crying. [Y/n] moved to his front, reaching for his hands covering his face. She tried to calmingly shush him, but it felt like an internal dam had broken, and emotions were unstoppably pouring out.

He reluctantly let her remove his hands, embarrassed and broken, his face wet with tears. This was it. This was what he initially came to show her anyhow: He was devastated because she was leaving. Maybe this actually was for the best; just ruining their friendship straight away by being awkward and pathetic, leaving for her to finish her more important things and be done with it. He had no defence left anyway.

He was startled by [y/n]’s tearful and worried eyes on him though. “Sweetest Julian, what on earth did I say to make you this upset?”

Oh great, now he was making her cry as well. He drew a deep, hitched breath, shaking his head. There was no going back now. He knew that. But how to precede? He wiped his eyes with the heel of his palm.

“Ahhhrg, I’m so sorry about this. This is plain stupid. It has _nothing_ to do with you.” He realised what he just said and backed up. “Or... Well, not really... It does have something to do with you. But it’s absolutely _not_ your fault.” His voice broke again at that last sentence for some reason.

This only made [y/n] look even more worried. She was rubbing his upper arm for comfort now, holding on to him with her head back as far as she could to still see his face. If she only knew how painfully pretty she looked.

“I’m just... I’m so sad.” He tried to catch his breath and calm down to be as straightforward about this as possible. “I... have grown very... attached and... fond of you during our... great ordeals.” He drew another deep breath. “And also our more... happy times.” He forced a smile, and she smiled back through the tears and hugged his chest in response. He dared to put a hand on the top of her back, to empathise his words.

[Y/n]’s soft, encouraging voice interrupted his thoughts. “We’ve sure shared some really special moments together. We’ll always be bound to each other because of that.”

Julian shifted his weight, and stepped back a bit taking her hands in his. Gods, there were those slippers again...

“The thing is...” he cleared his throat, “I... am probably too bound to you to handle particularly well... the fact that you’re leaving.”

“I’ll write you...” [y/n] started, before he ruthlessly interrupted her.

“No, you see, I’m not... I don’t... Writing just won’t do. It’s not that I’ll just miss you and worry about you, which I will... But I just...” Oh no, here came another choked sob. His voice got reduced to a breathless whisper. “I won’t be able to live my life and be happy – ever again. I feel like my insides will die. Do you understand? I don’t see myself living, ageing, and not being able to see you or be with you. I’ll be lost!” He managed to speak through the last piece without a stutter, and he felt almost proud.

[Y/n] was looking down to her feet at this point, and he was content with that. He didn’t want to face her now that he was making such a fool of himself. He squeezed his eyes shut and hoped he was done explaining. He could go back to his room, knowing he had executed his original plan, and it wouldn’t change anything, but now she knew. Maybe he wouldn’t have to receive letters or invitations from her in the future either. That would at least be something.

But then he felt [y/n]’s forehead on his chest. She had moved in on him and now she threw her petite arms around his waist. He put his hand on top of her head. Still holding on to her back with the other. The embrace made him both soft and calm. He had been close to her before, plenty of times, but this felt special. She still cared about him, even if he was a jerk, and even if this was out of pity.

Julian continued: “I don’t want you to stay for my sake. You do realise that, sweetie, right? That’s not my intent. You deserve to be happy and follow you dreams. It’s just that I won’t be able to say goodbye tomorrow. Can you forgive me for that? I do wish you all the best in life though. I really do.”

Ah, the raving depression inside him just wouldn’t let go of him. His voice was shaking again and didn’t sound sincere at all.

And now [y/n]’s body had started shaking too. Damn him! He had made her cry now.

“Why haven’t you told me this before, Julian? You have had so many chances!” [Y/n] spoke controlled, yet sounded slightly angry through her tears, and he was relieved to hear it for some reason. He felt like he deserved it.

He moved her from his torso to take a better look at her, and she turned her wet face up to his. She was definitely upset.

“We’ve been so close! We’ve been alone so many times, and we’ve had this amazing trust and history together, and... What the fuck, Julian? I’ve even kissed you on the mouth, and you never took the opportunity to say anything, or give me the impression that you were up for anything more than innocent flirting!” She was also being very loud now.

He felt confused as if he was just hit in the head by something he never saw coming.

“How... I... I was afraid to ruin a perfect friendship.”

[Y/n]'s eyes went black. “No, no, no! Even at the Raven you would flirt with the regular women there, dance with them like you were hoping for more, buying them drinks. And I would just sit there like a nobody and watch you being all excited and... inappropriate!” She was practically spitting the words out. Her tears were streaming down her red face. Her long eyelashes were wet and sticky, her corneas almost as red as his injured eye. He just couldn’t fathom why she acted like this. It seemed very irrational and over-dramatic.

It made his voice weak and inferior. “But... you don’t even like to dance?”

“That’s not the freaking point! How could we share a bed, and you never even tried to make a pass at me?”

“What? Are we in bed now? You were just talking about dancing...” Julian stuck out his long arms in pure perplexment. “And why would I make a pass at you in bed? You share a bed with Asra, don’t you? Does he make passes at you?” Julian rolled his eyes in disbelief.

[Y/n] widened her eyes at him, tears drying up on her hot cheeks as she spoke. His words hung in the air. “Are you fucking kidding me? Don’t you try to make this about me or Asra! This is about you keeping your distance and being unapproachable all this time, when _actually_ , according to _yourself_ , you wanted the opposite! How is that even possible? How does that work for you, Julian?”

Julian still felt confused. He tried hard to grasp what she was on about. Why were they bickering about good old times? All he could see was that she was extremely upset with him, and he wanted to comfort her so badly.

“Darling, I’m sorry. I don’t know what I did wrong. I’ve tried my best to be a good friend, and I really got the impression that you appreciated our friendship. I... I...” Julian looked to the extravagant ceiling to find the words. “I guess I’m generally just a very... lousy friend.”

By now [y/n] was almost laughing at him, through gritted teeth. Her eyes went wild. Her voice was weighing heavy with resentment. “Oh! Oh! There it is again!” She was pointing her finger at him as if she wanted to shoot him, but the gun had jammed. “No, Julian you are beyond lousy. You’re freaking hopeless! Stop hiding behind your damn self loathing! It’s getting so, so old.” She narrowed her eyes at him. "What I don’t get is, if you’re so bloody worthless in your own opinion, where do you get all that courage chatting up just any lady with a pulse?”

Julian had gone into some sort of trance, watching the love of his life giving him the first earful ever. And he still wasn’t sure what for, but he knew he had somehow stepped into a minefield, and he had to be careful about his answers.

“I don’t do that...” he answered wounded and bewildered. “I... Why are you mad at me exactly? Should I or should I not have told you... You know... That I love you?” He swallowed hard, not knowing what to expect.

[Y/n] face stilled, but her chest was heaving heavily under that delicate, white shirt. Her cheeks and neck were still flustered with red spots, her lower lip was trembling and her hair was even messier than before. She wiped the skin under her eyes, although they weren’t wet anymore. She stroked her hair from her face, and put both her fists to her waist. Cat had caught her tongue, he reckoned. Then she shook her head, although she was getting calmer.

Julian wouldn’t dare say anything more. It was her turn anyway.

“Julian,” she finally whispered, and she turned to sit down on the bed. Every step followed by a little chime of the bells.

Julian kept standing, still not sure what would happen next. He just needed that answer.

She looked at him with piercings eyes. “Do you know _why_ I’m leaving Vesuvia?”

Okay, she was perhaps not answering that question, and so he prepared for another round of mind games. It made him very uneasy.

“No,” was all he dared to say.

“Because I’m frustrated, Julian. I need to move on with my life.”

Julian let his head down by her harsh words, but nodded to confirm that he understood. This was exactly what he expected.

There was another moment of silence between them.

“Do you know why I’m frustrated and don’t feel like staying?”

Julian looked at her. He had an idea, but by now he was pretty certain he was 100% wrong. He obviously didn’t know his beloved friend as well as he thought.

[Y/n] looked back at him with her chin up. “I can’t deal with this friendship of ours anymore. I feel like I’m waiting on a personal disaster, being your friend.”

Still not quite sure what she meant, he could appreciate her honesty, and she was probably right. Disaster did have the tendency to follow in his footsteps. He nodded again, shamefully.

“Julian, you idiot. You still don’t get it, do you?” [Y/n] suddenly sounded amused, and he looked surprised at her.

“I’m sorry?” he muttered.

[Y/n]’s face twitched, and it looked like she bit her lip to hold back a laugh, making him more confused and insecure that ever. Did he look funny?

“What if I say that I fell for you that night you saved my life from that vampire eel, and that I’ve been in love with you ever since. Can you believe that?”

Julian had to take his time to figure out if this was a) a question, b) a trick question or c) an admission. He remembered her falling – into the aqueduct, and that it was his fault. But the love-part.... “I... Are you... No, I’m not sure I understand.” He frowned and his gaze darted around the room a few times before getting back to her face. She looked happy although her eyes were still red and puffy.

“Do you? Love me?”

He couldn’t even believe he asked.

[Y/n] nodded slowly, her face still amused and bright.

A spark within him set off a whole chain of physical reactions. His heartbeat went ballistic, his body was trembling and his hands felt sweaty.

“But you never told me,” Julian said in a low voice.

“Exactly,” [y/n] replied.

“Why?” Julian felt too heart-struck to move.

[Y/n] shrugged. “Because you always seemed so comfortable and flirtatious around other women, but with me you always kept a certain distance. Even when I hit on you, even when we were drunk, you never took advantage of the situation. I figured it was because you didn’t have those feelings for me. I was just a friend to you.”

[Y/n] covered her face with her hands in embarrassment. “Ahhhh, and I’ve been _so_ jealous, you have no idea! Wondering why I wasn’t good enough for even a casual affair.” She looked up, and her eyes looked like they were watering once more although she was laughing.

Julian ached to embrace her. “Can I come sit with you on the bed?”

“Of course you can, Ilya, it still just me. We’ve shared beds before!” She giggled.

Her words turned his brain to mush, sending off flutters and heatwaves through his veins. His eyes fell to her feet as she moved to the side to the sound of bells.

“Those slippers, [y/n]. They have got to go!”

She giggled and kicked them off.

He took a couple of long steps forward and sat beside her, still almost in disbelief about his own interpretation of this.

“You better brace yourself,” he deadpanned, “I’m now going to make a pass at you.” Then he carefully drew her in between his long legs, and she laughed and straddled his lap, her face inches from his as he stroked her hair.

He studied her beautiful face. “You should have told me this. You know you actually _weren’t_ good enough for me. You were _too_ good,” he whispered affectionately.

“I know,” she whispered back, “but you never told me that either, so... I guess that makes us even?”

He touched her chin with a big smile and looked into her eyes. Then she moved forward and caught his lips between hers, the hot breath and the unchastened sounds from her mouth felt like a massive adrenaline shot.

She was tugging on his half open shirt, deepening the kiss, slipping her tongue into his mouth, sliding it against his, drawing herself closer to his body. Heat pooled inside him. “Please tell me you’re not leaving, [y/n]. Not tomorrow. Please?”

“Not if you’re not coming with me,” [y/n] mumbled sweetly against his mouth.

He let out a relieved chuckle, placed his hands on her naked thighs, stroking them gently upwards to her round, soft butt, pulling her even closer. It was more satisfying than he had imagined, and he felt himself twitch inside his pants. He dug his face into her rose scented neck. “I’m not going anywhere tomorrow, darling. In fact I think I might be in bed the whole day.”


End file.
